Jan. 9—JEFFERSON — A long-term agreement with Delaware was renewed on Tuesday, which will keep the managing the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake for at least 12 years.
The company has been managing the lodge for many years, and a 2016 contract was extended Tuesday. Several commissioners said they are excited about continuing the arrangement.
The existing contract, through the amendment, was extended through 2036, the commissioners said. Another portion of the contract change will allow the capital improvement fund revenue to increase from seven to 10%, Ashtabula County Commissioner J.P. Ducro said.
The commissioners are completing paying back about $1 million Delaware North invested in the renovation of the lodge’s rooms in 2016. At the end of 2026, the base management fee will be $274,000, with a 3% increase each year.
Ducro and Commissioner Casey Kozlowski said Delaware North has done a great job of operating the lodge, and they are looking forward to continuing the relationship.
“As we look to the future projects this [the extension] is important for them and us,” Kozlowski said. He said there are new projects tentatively in the works.
The lodge opened in 2004, and it has grown over the years to include cabins, canopy tours and other attractions.
In 2021, a bill was signed into law directing the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to purchase the lodge from the county in exchange for enough money to pay off remaining debt on the facility. After more than a year of negotiation, in late December 2022, state lawmakers approved a bill that amended the initial law, removing the sale requirement and providing the county with a grant to pay off the $14 million in debt owed on the lodge.
There was a wide ranging effort to keep the lodge owned by the county.